Standing for Nature: Understanding Our Approach

Why "Standing for Nature"?

While our work builds on the global Rights of Nature movement, we chose the term “Standing for Nature” to reflect both a legal and moral stance. “Standing” has dual meaning – it refers to the legal right to bring a case to court (legal standing) and also our commitment to stand up for and protect Washington’s natural environment. This terminology helps emphasize our practical, action-oriented approach while connecting to established legal concepts that Washington residents and courts understand.

What Are "Rights of Nature"?

Rights of Nature is a legal and philosophical framework that recognizes natural ecosystems – including rivers, forests, mountains, and wildlife – as living entities with fundamental rights, similar to how human beings and corporations have legal rights. These rights typically include:

  • The right to exist and thrive
  • The right to maintain natural cycles
  • The right to restoration when damaged
  • The right to legal representation in court

This approach shifts from treating nature as property to recognizing it as a rights-bearing entity that deserves legal protection in its own right.

Global Movement: A Brief History

The Rights of Nature movement represents a return to indigenous perspectives on humanity’s relationship with nature, combined with modern legal frameworks. Here are some of the key moments in its development:

1970s
Legal Theory Emerges
"Should Trees Have Standing?" book cover - Standing for Washington
Should Trees Have Standing?

Christopher Stone publishes the seminal essay "Should Trees Have Standing?" which argues for granting legal rights to natural entities.

The essay was published in the Southern California Law Review sparking academic debate about nature's legal rights

2006
First U.S. Community Ordinance
Tamaqua Borough, PA

Tamaqua Borough in Pennsylvania becomes the first U.S. community to pass an ordinance recognizing the rights of nature, aimed at stopping toxic sludge dumping.

 

2008
First Constitutional Amendment
Ecuador

Ecuador becomes the first country to enshrine the rights of nature in its constitution, granting ecosystems the right to exist and regenerate.

2010
Law of the Rights of Mother Earth
Bolivia

Bolivia passes the "Law of the Rights of Mother Earth," furthering the global movement by legally recognizing Pachamama (Mother Earth) with specific rights.

2014
First Ecosystem
Te Urewera, NZ

In 2014 the New Zealand government passed a new, groundbreaking piece of legislation: the Te Urewera Act. This act removed the national park status of the Urewera Forest, located on Aotearoa’s North Island. Instead, it granted the forest legal personhood, giving it the same rights, powers, duties and liabilities as any New Zealand citizen.

In the same year, Māori iwi and the New Zealand government signed Tutohu Whakatupua Treaty Agreement, which grants the Whanganui River legal status and personhood under the name Te Awa Tupua. Te Awa Tupua is now recognised as “an indivisible and living whole”[. Under the Māori worldview that ‘I am the River and the River is me’, this agreement “recognises the spirit of the river system and acknowledges that it is owned by no-one”

2019
Lake Erie Bill of Rights
Toledo, OH

Toledo, Ohio, passes the Lake Erie Bill of Rights by referendum, giving the lake the right to exist and flourish - though this was later challenged and overturned in court.

2017
Atrato River
Colombia

Colombia's Constitutional Court granted the Atrato River rights to "protection, conservation, maintenance and restoration" by law.

2019
Rivers
Bangladesh

In 2019, Bangladesh's Supreme Court granted all of its rivers legal rights, making them living entities with the same legal status as humans.

2019
First Tribal Law
Yurok Tribe, Klamath River, CA

In 2019, the Yurok Tribe passed a resolution that granted the Klamath River legal personhood, giving it the same rights as a person under tribal law.

2021
Largest U.S. Municipality
Orange County, FL

In Florida, the Orange County charter is amended to include recognizing the rights of rivers and streams, along with a right to clean water for the residents, making it the largest U.S. municipality to recognize such rights.

2022
Panama

On February 24 2022, Panama passed a national Rights of Nature Law incorporating Nature’s rights to exist, persist, and regenerate its life cycles; to timely and effective restoration; and to the preservation of its water cycles into national law. The law recognizes Nature as a subject of rights, its intrinsic value, and the obligation of the State and all natural or legal persons to protect these rights, as well as to have legal standing for its defense. The law also includes a set of ecocentric principles, such as “in dubio pro natura,” which means that when scientific uncertainty exists about the consequences of an activity on an ecosystem, the State must prioritize protecting nature.

2024
Snohomish River Watershed
Standing for Washington Port of Everett
Everett, WA

In November 2024, the voters in Everett, Washington passed Initiative 24-03, granting legal standing to the Snohomish River Watershed.

Learn more.

These milestones reflect a growing global and national acknowledgment that nature’s health is integral to human well-being, advocating for a legal framework where nature has its own standing in the legal system.

Rights of Nature in the United States

The movement in the United States has taken unique forms, often emerging at the local level.

Tribal Leadership

Native American tribes have been at the forefront, incorporating Rights of Nature into tribal law and governance. The Yurok Tribe’s recognition of the Klamath River’s rights and the White Earth Band of Ojibwe’s protection of wild rice (manoomin) rights are groundbreaking examples.

Municipal Initiatives

Over three dozen U.S. communities have passed local Rights of Nature laws, though many face legal challenges. Notable examples include:

  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s ban on fracking based on Rights of Nature
  • Toledo, Ohio’s Lake Erie Bill of Rights
  • Orange County, Florida’s legal rights for local rivers and streams
  • Everett, Washington’s legal standing for the Snohomish River Watershed

As the Rights of Nature movement continues to grow, more communities are stepping up to legally defend and preserve the natural world. By “Standing for Nature,” we join a global effort to honor and protect our planet.

Where Nature Meets Community. Join us.